Self-adjusting automatic tracking mechanism.



J. P. HULDE R. SELF ADJUSTING-AUTOMATIC TRACKING MECHANISM.

I I APPLIGA'IIJIOIN FILED NOV. 12, 1910. v 1-,.1 1 3,637. x Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

I nvenior:

J. HULDER. SELF ADJUSTING AUTOMATIC TRACKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.12, 1910. 1,1 13,637. Patented 006.13,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, fil

sT rEs regular OFFICE.

aosnrn r. HULDER, or iv'awronx, nfx, assrenon' TO. LUi WIG '& column, A

CORPORATION or new YORK.

SELF-ADJUSTING AUTOMATIC 'r'rmcxrne ECHANISM.

.Sp t r en Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

'Application filed Novem'lier'm, 1910. l Serial No. 592,059.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be itknown that I, JOSEPH P. HULDER, a -c1t1zen of, the United'States,'-, and a resident of the city, county and'State of New York,

ing is a 'full,':clear, and exact specification.

. My invention relates to pneumatically op erated mus'1cal lnstrulnents, and more particularly to' an improved self-adjusting. guide mechanism for automaticallymaintaining a proper operative relation betweenthe traveling perforated music sheet and the tracker board of suchinstruments.

Commercial 'music rolls are made with 'margihso'i equal'width on either side of the extreme note perforations. To insure their properoperation; each note perforation. should register with its corresponding opening i n the tracker board. I By reason, however, of the fact that the'paper may shrink or swell, or the'sheet may be wound-unevenly on themusic or-the takeru-prolls, or that the they are apt note. sheets may vary in width,

to be .thrownout of registration.

The objects of my invention are to provide a mechanism which will automatically main-' tain the accurate registration of the I note perforations in the traveling music sheet with the note openings in the tracker-board throughout the playing of said sheet, and to construct such mechanism so'th'at it will adjust itself to the width ofthe music sheet be the same narroweroriw'ider' than. the stand-..

' 'wardly from the'tracker board. The'gmdes ard' size.

-. Ii am aware that certain mechanisms have depend upon the cooperation of the sheet with ducts in the tracker'to'accomplish this object are subject to the disadvantagethat they will not operate properlywith music sheets which vary from the standard width,

and to the further objection that such devices do not adjust themselves to' the width of the rollbut must be manually adjusted,

,oi' that they anord no adjustment whatso-,

ever.

- I .will illustrate my invention, tor the pur. 'pose' of. clearly describin thesame," as appl ed to a device for shifting both of the rolls carrying the music in relation to the fixed tracker board; bu't'it is to 'be. understood" that the registration sought maybe accomplishedalso byshifti-ng only one of the rolls,or by having therolls stationary and shifting the tracker boarg. i

In the accompanying revving. Iormmg a part of this application, Figure 1. is a rear with 'my improved.selt-adjusting automatic .actuatingmechanism.appliedithereto; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectio'n through the center line of the tracker board; Fig. 3"is a vertical section through the tracker, board;- Fig. 4 is "a detail plan view of the valve seat; Fig. 5 is a, section qfthe valve seat through the line ;ava in Fig. 4 Fig. 6- is aplan view'of the the valve cap; F ig.-8 is a plan view of the bottom of the valve cap and F ig.'9 is a plan view of the device looking-from the top. .g-

"(1). designates a tracker board provided with slots (2 in'addition to the usual hote openings. T ese slots are'loca-ted ateither .end ofthe board at a distance from'the extreme note openings slightly less than the width of-the margin ofjth e standard note sheet (3). Ineach slot is inserted aguide having a ocker-arm which is pivot- .ally supporte on a 111g (6). projecting rearare normally held in position toward the note openings by means-of a light spring 7 pressing on the rocker arm, and each guide is capable of lateral movement in its slot so that they may adjust themselves to the width of the sheet as it p'asses'between them; Each (10) which engages-a groove (11) formed on the top of th'e'valve cap .(8) so as to cause the latter to slide on its seat (9) upon any lateral movement of its guide.

v The valve seats are each provided with a.

view in elevation showing a tracking device top of the valve qap; Fig.- 7 is a side view of arm '(5) is preferably provided with a pin cating, through the tube (13}, with the exha'ust or wind chest 14) of a type usual 111 pneumatic actions; a secondary exhaust port (15) which connects through the tubes (1(5) or 16) with one compartment of the duplex actuating pneumatic (17); and an atmosphere port (18) also connecting, through the tubes (19 or 19",. with the other compartment of said pneumatic.

'Having reference to thedrawings, it will be seen that-the exhaust port and the atmosphere port of each valve are cross-connected with the pneumatic, that is, the atmosphere port of one valve and the exhaust port of the other valve both communicate with the same compaitment of the pneumatic so as to vary the air tension in the two compartments of the pneumatic.

The valve cap has a slot (20)' xtending 'through it, and a slot (21) exten ing'pan' tially' through it; The valve cap is set on lts' seat so that the atmosphere port (18) and the secondary exhaust port (15) are nor- .mally closed. As, however, the valve is moved on its seat, the atmosphere port is gradually opened to the outer air-through the slot (20) and the secondary exhaust port is at the same time gradually placed ,in com- 30,;

munication with the main exhaust port through the slot (21). A valve box (22). open at the rear, incloses the valve and serves to hold the cap in place.

The actuating pneumatic (17). which is preferably located at the side of the tracker box (23) in an upright position, is divided into two separate compartments and consists of two stationary walls (2i) having openings for the admission and exhaustion of air, and a hinged movable leaf (25) suspended between them. Normally both compartments of the pneumatic are under equal air tension, but as either one or the other of the valves is moved this equilibrium :will be disturbed. A connecting rod (26) serves to transmit the motion of the leaf to the swinging member (28) of the rollshifting device. As the sheet is drawn over the tracker board between the guides they will first adj ust themselves to the width thereof, and then, as the sheet deviates from its normal path of travel, its edges will operate the valves controllingthe pneumatically actuated tracking device so as to restore the sheet to its operative position. For example: If

registration with the openings in the trackerboard; and vice versa.

In the foregoingspecification I have described what I believe to be' the best mode of applying my invention, but it will be understood that the construction and arrangement of the various parts may be modified from that illustrated in the accompanying drawings without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination, a traveling note sheet; a tracker bar /wo edge guides adapted to contact with the opposite edges of the, sheet and to follow the lateral movement thereof in both directions; a pneumatic comprising two compartments having a common movable member; separate valve supports each-provided with an atmosphere and an exhaust port which, -ports,are cross connected with the opposite compartments of the pneumatic; valves controlling said ports operatively connected 'to the edge guides for movement therewith; andmeans controlled by said pneumatic for maintaining normal relation between the sheet and the tracker.

2. In combination, a traveling note sheet a tracker bar ;a pneumatic having a movable member normally balanced under equal air. tension; means controlled by said movable member for maintaining correct lateral relation between the sheet and the tracker; edge guides adapted to contact with the opposite edges of the sheet and to move laterally therewith in both directions and valve means, connected with the edge guides, arranged to control the admission of air on one side and the exhaustion of air on'the" other side of the movable member, whereby upon any deflection of the'sheet normal relation is restored.

3. In combination, a traveling note sheet,

a tracker, two edge guides contacting with the opposite edges of the sheet andmovable laterally therewith, apneumatic having a normally balanced movable member, means operative upon the lateral movement of either edge guide to cause movement of the movable member by simultaneously admitting air'on one side thereof and exhausting air from the'other, and means controlled by the movement of said movable member for restoring normal 'relation between the sheet and the tracker upon any deflection of the former,

4. In combination a traveling note sheet,

a tracker, two self adjustable edge guides contacting Wltll' the opposite edges of the sheet and movable laterally therewith, a.

pneumatic having a normallyvbalanced movable member, means operatlve-upon the lateral movement of either edge-guide to cause movement of the movable member by simultaneously admitting air on one side thereof and exhausting air from the other, said and the tracker upon any deflection of the means being inoperative to cause such moveformer. .7

ment When both edge guides move an equal In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my amount in opposite directions in aceommohand this 9th day of November, 1910.

5 dating themselves to the Width 01'' the sheet J OSEPH P. HULDEE.

employed, and means controlled by the W itnesses: movement of said movable member for re- LESTER F. Drrrnnaomn,

storing normal relation between the sheet GERTRUDE K. BRENNAN. 

